


Aftermath: The Extended Gravity Epilogue

by DragonSorceress22



Series: Fall into Flying Universe [6]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: (and now it's definite swearing), Angst, Codependency, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I am meanest to my favorite characters, I forgot to add angst and there's no way I'm starting over so, M/M, Panic Attacks, Plot, Post-Conan Kudou Shinichi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Sequel, a little bit of suggestive stuff/sexy times, a lot of library moping, cheating at board games, happy ending dammit, if this isn't emotional hurt/comfort I don't know what is, merging of the Organizations, not explicit, probably swearing, utter failure to include characters from later in the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-07 08:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12837708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonSorceress22/pseuds/DragonSorceress22
Summary: All the angst that Gravity wasn’t missing, all the closure that Gravitywasmissing, and the story behind the epilogue.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> When I was writing Gravity I had planned it out in three parts: pre-kidnapping, kidnapped, and post-kidnapping. However, with the climax being the escape from the mansion, a whole third part would have been way too much falling action and just didn’t feel right (especially after “part two” turned out as depressing as it did). At the same time, the events of “part three” were still integral to the direction of the story, and I struggled to come up with an epilogue for Gravity that would be both encouraging/uplifting for readers without disregarding the events that I still needed to have happen.
> 
> In the end, I decided to pull one particular scene out of “part three” and summarize the events leading up to it with some of the more important quotes from those scenes. As such, you will see the epilogue repeated here as one of the chapters in the _middle_ of “Aftermath”. 
> 
> **TLDR:**  
>  This entire story is basically one big cut-scene. By its very nature, the mood and pacing are rough, and it both expounds upon and repeats the epilogue of Gravity.
> 
> For all those masochists out there who just have to know… enjoy.
> 
> As always, beta'd by [solomonara](http://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/pseuds/solomonara/works).

_Morning, August 3 rd  _

 

There were things Shinichi didn’t take for granted – like the Kudou library and time away from his parents. From the day he’d learned KID’s name, Kaito’s life was another.

But there were also things that he did take for granted. Little things, like how Kaito would always put his left sock on before his right but was the opposite with his shoes, or how Shinichi’s house had stopped feeling empty even when Kaito was away.

“I just realized I’ve never given you a key,” Shinichi said. He was sitting on the stairs with his crutch propped next to him a few days after they’d finally come home. Kaito was crouched in the genkan, putting on his shoes. “I was thinking we might as well go ahead and change the locks and who all will need a new key, but you don’t have one.”

Kaito smirked at him and straightened up. “Sounds like I don’t need one, doesn’t it~”

“What, don’t wanna make it official?” Shinichi replied. “I see how it is.”

“Heh, since you mention it, I _was_ thinking it’s probably time I consider selling my house. There’s really no reason for us to have two, you know?”

Shinichi shrugged. “What about the KID room?”

“It won’t be hard to wipe it, and the entrance is already made to be secret. I’ll seal it off and even if someone stumbles across it somewhere down the road it’ll just be an empty room. Not evidence.”

“Mm. If you’re okay with it.”

“And…” Kaito continued, just a little hesitant. “Can I build one here?”

“Of course,” Shinichi answered, like it was obvious. Kaito’s shoes were suddenly left behind and he was kneeling on the stair below Shinichi’s to steal a warm kiss.

“I’ll let you see it, if you want,” Kaito murmured. “Just once, right after it’s done. Before it’s used. What do you think?”

Shinichi smiled. “Actually, I’d like that a lot.”

 

Kaito parted ways with Shinichi at the Beika police station. In record time, he’d managed to scrape up another audition opportunity, and Shinichi had insisted on heading to the station to search for leads on the Organization in the security footage from the month he’d missed. Neither of them called attention to Shinichi’s need to at least be surrounded by police as long as Kaito wasn’t with him.

For hours, Shinichi sat in a basement room at the station poring over reports and skipping through footage. He’d made it all the way to Merlot’s personal attack on Beika station the night of KID’s “game of tag” when KID ghosted into the room. He settled his back against the wall behind Shinichi to watch over his shoulder. With each shot that went off on screen as Merlot asked her questions, Shinichi grew tenser. He actually flinched when Tsubaki shouted for Merlot to kill her rather than let Merlot continue. He folded a little over the desk and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes then pushed his fingers through his hair. When he slumped back in his chair, KID’s hand was there, a gentle pressure on his shoulder.

“You’ve rubbed off on them,” he said quietly. “When people get used to seeing someone like you – someone who never fails in right and wrong no matter the personal cost – that kind of courage becomes attainable. It’s more realistic. It’s expected.”

“I never wanted my reckless way of doing things to become the standard,” Shinichi answered, slightly sharp with frustration. “I don’t want anyone else to have to–” He cut himself off, his eyes squeezing shut and his fist clenching over his right thigh. Over the burn.

“They won’t have to,” KID said gently. “Because the more there are people like you, the less people like _them_ can survive. They’ll just keep losing ground with nothing to be gained from the kind of ruthless violence they think will get them what they want.”

His eyes flicked to the screen where Merlot was making her escape and Chat Noir was running after her. His fingers tightened on Shinichi’s shoulder. He was a little glad when Shinichi changed the subject.

“How did the audition go?” he asked, closing out the footage.

KID’s hand withdrew. “Uh, well… I don’t have anything to compare it to, but… Could have gone better.”

Shinichi turned in his chair, grabbing for his crutch. “Really?”

“Well yeah. It’s not like I’ve ever auditioned before. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ll have a better handle on it next time.”

“Oh. Okay. If you say so.”

There was an old, familiar suspicion under Shinichi’s words that Kaito wanted to be grateful for, but for now he didn’t want Shinichi reading him too closely.

“I do~” he answered, and dipped down to kiss Shinichi’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story also comes with a standing offer of free hugs because boy am I mean to these boys...
> 
> Also, I'm not sure how I will be handling the update schedule this time around because this is such a weird situation and I am spending much of my time Christmas-ing these days, so I'll just leave it at whenever I have time, but at _least_ every weekend.
> 
> Please look forward to it?


	2. Chapter 2

_Afternoon, August 10 th_

Shinichi felt frozen, standing there in the doorway of Megure’s office, knuckles going white on the grip of his crutch. “What do you mean?” he eventually managed.

“Just that you deserve a break, Kudou-kun,” Megure said. He looked like he was trying too hard to stay seated behind his desk. Shinichi wondered if he was looking as pale and lightheaded as he felt.

“I don’t want a _break_. I want to see this through.” His own voice was starting to sound a little distant and he knew now that he didn’t have long before _it_ set in.

“I know that. But don’t forget that you’re still a civilian. And a victim in this case–”

“Inspector–”

“Look,” Megure said, firm enough to stop him. “If you really want to stay on the case, I need you to at least be cleared by a professional at the police hospital. I’ve given you a lot of leeway and, to be honest, I’m starting to regret it. I still can’t believe I ever let this happen.” He paused for a moment to let out a sigh. Shinichi couldn’t recall ever seeing Megure slouch like that before. He looked older. “So if you want to continue,” Megure said, his voice coming back strong. “You’ll prove to me that you’re all right first. Understand?”

Shinichi barely hesitated. He gave Megure a tight nod then turned from the doorway and started walking, relying on the crutch under his arm and hurrying as much as he dared. He barely made it into a bathroom stall before his legs gave out and his vision went spotty. The crutch clattered into the corner as he dropped onto the toilet seat, putting his face in his hands. His focus was only on keeping his breathing quiet as the shaking set in.

 

_Evening, August 11 th _

Kaito wasn’t expecting Shinichi to be home. When he’d gone to the police meeting that evening to sign off on the final specs for the captive Organization members’ custom cells (literally – he’d scribbled a KID doodle onto each one), the officers had told him that Shinichi wasn’t available to help. Kaito had assumed that meant Shinichi was working on something else. He expected Shinichi to still be at the station, and even hoped that he was.

He let his exhaustion show as he pushed through the front door of the Kudou manor. He hadn’t been sleeping well. He was on edge, half an ear out for any signs of distress from Shinichi even though he _knew_ it wasn’t necessary, or even good, for him to hover like that.

He also hadn’t been able to perform any adequate magic in six weeks and that had _never_ happened to him before. After learning the truth about his father he’d only become more driven. After Jack Connery, he’d only become more determined. Even after Snake, the tricks still flowed by the time his injuries had healed enough for him to try.

But now… there was no heart in them. He was distracted and tired and making mistakes, and he didn’t _care_. And that scared him. But he hadn’t been able to tell Shinichi.

Kaito let out a sigh then jumped a little at the subtle sound of movement in the library. “Shinichi?” he called, but his hand was ready against the hidden card gun as he edged toward the room.

“In here,” Shinichi’s voice responded, subdued.

Kaito moved into the moonlight under the domed skylight and saw Shinichi sitting in an armchair in the dark. There was no book with him, just the crutch leaning against the wingback.

“They kicked me off the task force,” he said as Kaito walked in.

“What?” Kaito moved closer and knelt in front of him, trying to get a look at his shadowed face. He reached up and slid his palm against Shinichi’s cheek and Shinichi reluctantly raised his eyes to meet Kaito’s.

“I didn’t pass the psych evaluation.”

“Shinichi–”

“It’s fine,” Shinichi said. He pushed himself to his feet and Kaito was barely quick enough to move back in time. “ _I_ know I’m fine. That therapist saw what he expected to see. He already knew what happened. The officers won’t shut up about it. It feels like everywhere I go people just… stop talking and try not to stare.” He’d taken a few agitated paces past Kaito and away from the chair, leaving the crutch behind.

Kaito went after him. “Shinichi.” He grabbed his wrist and pulled him to a stop. “Look, I’m not saying he was right but…” Part of him still didn’t want to say it. The rest of him was tired. “You’ve had this _paranoia_ about the Organization from the beginning. You’re not yourself when they’re involved. I wasn’t with you from the start but Haibara agreed – you can’t see past them.”

“You and Haibara are talking about me behind my back too?” Shinichi shot at him, not quite angry yet but clearly getting there.

“Shinichi,” Kaito said again. “This is what I mean. This isn’t _you_. We’re just worried, okay?”

Shinichi pulled free from Kaito’s grip but he didn’t leave, just forced out a heavy breath and nodded. Kaito reached out for him again – an offer as much as a request – and Shinichi came to him, limping until he pressed himself against Kaito. Kaito held tight.

“We’re never doing this again,” he murmured against Shinichi’s hair. “There was a cost, and it’s not worth it.”

He felt Shinichi nod again but he didn’t speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so, even just my usual once a weekend schedule is a struggle right now. I have severely underestimated the might of Christmasing. But I _did_ get a chapter up! It's still (just barely) the weekend! (At least where I am...) Next one... idk, soon? (so optimistic :P ) Please look forward to it~!


	3. Chapter 3

_Morning, August 12 th _

 

Haibara had never had the patience for beating around bushes. Shinichi, still uncomfortable with being alone (and still in denial about it), had found himself at Agasa’s house when Kaito left to meet with the police again. Haibara took one look at him and dragged him very purposefully up to the observatory rather than down to the windowless basement lab.

“We’ll be right back,” she said to Agasa as they went, and it seemed to have a sharp, silent echo of _do not follow us_ to it somehow.

“Uh, right,” Agasa said, and stared after them with his eyebrows knitted in concern.

In the observatory, Haibara shut the door and planted herself in front of it, glaring up at Shinichi with her arms crossed. She was looking more foreboding by the day at the rate she was growing.

“What?” Shinichi sighed. “What did I do?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” Haibara said. It carried a note of exasperation, and the confusion at that was clear on Shinichi’s face. “Kudou-kun, I’m trying to understand. You didn’t do anything wrong – everything went according to your plan and you dealt them a serious blow. But you keep trying to throw yourself at this case like you need to fix it somehow.”

“Because it’s not finished–”

“Of course it’s not. Just like always, you struck a blow and there’s still more to be done, so why are you freaking out about it this time? This is the worst obsessive behavior I’ve ever seen from you, and that’s saying something. So what’s different about this time–”

“You know damn well what’s _different_ ,” Shinichi snapped, and the initial flicker of surprise across Haibara’s face settled much too quickly into something smug.

“So it’s what they did to you.”

“So what if it is? You _know_ what I went through and I don’t ever want to go through it again.”

“Yes, I know what you went through,” Haibara said, frustratingly calm. “And if you were on the other side of this case looking at the person who had been held captive and threatened and abused and _scared_ , what would you call them?”

Shinichi leveled a glare at her. “Don’t–”

“You are a _victim_ , Kudou-kun,” she said anyway.

“I don’t want–”

“Believe it or not, I’m only saying it because you are not _dealing_ with it. It happened. You need to accept it, and accept that it wasn’t your fault. Something horrible was done to you and it was outside your power to stop it. Just let go of this stupid guilt you’re somehow feeling. We’re all okay and _that’s_ because of you. Because you took action instead of standing down. Because you brought the fight to them and kept with it when the action was over. Because you played it smart and careful and did everything right, we’re all alive. And you stopped him. Gin is gone. That was _you_.”

It was what a lot of people had been telling him, but this was the only time it had come without the pitying eyes, the gentle tone, the tiptoeing caution of picking around words like he was some kind of minefield of anxiety. He almost wanted to hug her.

“You say some good things sometimes, Haibara,” he said instead. “But you know… You can’t blame yourself for any of this either.”

“The hell I can’t,” Haibara immediately shot back.

Shinichi’s tone sharpened with old fear and frustration. “You never wanted this–”

“But I never tried to stop it, either.”

“Yes, you did. That’s _exactly_ what you did. You were willing to give your life to stop them.”

“Only after my sister–”

“Because you had to live for her until then. Don’t forget that. If you threw her away to stop them, how could that have been better?” He slipped his hands into his pockets, feeling just a little more like himself for once. Leaving the crutch behind helped. “You did everything you could. You came to me. You helped me. Anything I’ve done here, you made possible.”

“Tch.” Haibara turned and pushed through the door back into the stairwell.

“And Haibara,” Shinichi called after her. She paused but didn’t turn back. “You’ve got people to live for now, too. Just… remember that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is broken. Just everyone. I am a bad person >.>
> 
> Anyway, next chapter (couple chapters?) will focus in more on Kaito. Please look forward to it~!


	4. Chapter 4

_Morning, August 15 th _

For a while Kaito sat on the edge of the bed, considering the contact list in his phone. It was getting to be too much. He had to talk to _someone_ and it couldn’t be Shinichi. But Aoko and his mother would both try to _fix_ things. That wasn’t what he needed. He just needed to talk. He opened a text to Sonoko.

_“Hey would you have time to hang out for a little while? I think I need to vent.”_

The two somewhat staggered responses weren’t what he’d been expecting.

_“Uh well I’m not really at home.”_

_“I might have kind of run away to hide at the villa for a while.”_

_“Ran away?”_ Kaito texted back immediately, and he was glad that it could be read as curiosity, not necessarily revealing the adrenaline-spiked anxiety that was truly behind it. _Ran away from what?_ his brain insisted. _Hiding_ _from_ what _?_

Again, the responses were unexpected, but this time that was a relief.

_“I stood up to my mom and it went a little better than I planned.”_

_“I just needed to have a small freakout without her seeing.”_

_“Do you want to come up to the villa? Makoto-san’s here too.”_

Kaito’s thumbs hesitated over his phone screen. He _did_ want to go. It was obvious to him that Sonoko wanted to talk about what had happened, but even more than that, if he was being honest with himself, Kaito was scared. There were so many things happening in his life that felt out of his control and that wasn’t something he knew how to handle now. Not without…

_Shinichi…_

“Kaito?”

Kaito looked up, barely managing not to jump. Shinichi was standing in the doorway, his hair damp but his clothes buttoned up, straight and clean like he was still going to class or the police station. In reality, he only ever left the house when Kaito did.

“What’s wrong?” Shinichi asked, and his eyes still caught on little details – the phone in Kaito’s hands, the degree of his slouch, the lack of color in his skin. The way some of the subtle signals of uncertainty went away whenever Kaito noticed Shinichi noticing them.

“Ah. Sonoko’s having a little bit of a mother crisis and she wanted to know if I could come out to the villa to talk about it…” He hesitated then. He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t decide if he should stay or go or take Shinichi with him–

“Oh. Okay. Just be careful, all right? When do you think you’ll be back?”

Kaito stared, lost for words, and Shinichi dropped onto the edge of the mattress right beside him. His hand slipped over and tugged Kaito’s fingers away from the phone so he could hold on to him.

“I’m okay, Kaito,” Shinichi said. “I do know that we’re safer now than we’ve been for most of our lives. Pretty much everyone who was after us is either locked up or dead now. If we don’t get back to _living_ then what the hell was it all for?”

Unexpected. Unexpected, unexpected, _unexpected_.

Kaito squeezed Shinichi’s hand tight while his other dropped the phone to the floor with a clatter. He reached up and pressed his palm to Shinichi’s cheek, warm still from the shower heat, and his fingertips slid into a completely natural hairline. No mask. No nothing. Kaito’s forehead dropped against Shinichi’s collarbone.

“Where did that come from?” Kaito asked, and it was a whisper and a laugh, barely steady. “We can’t just pretend that everything it took to get here didn’t happen.” _Didn’t change us._

Shinichi’s free hand settled onto Kaito’s back. “I’m not,” he said. “Haibara talked to me the other day. I get it. And I promise, I’ll go over to the professor’s house if I can’t handle being alone yet. But… let me find that out for myself, okay?”

_Don’t leave me behind,_ Kaito’s heart begged, selfish and cruel and he hated it. _Where did this strength come from? Why can’t I…?_

“Yeah, okay.” KID raised his head and smiled a little. “You’re right. I’ll head out this afternoon then.” He tugged Shinichi over and nuzzled a light kiss against the side of his head. “Will you get mad if I call you tonight?”

“Heh. Why do I feel like you’re having a harder time with this than I am?”

“Then just humor me, okay~?”

Shinichi pushed him back a little. “I don’t need to be coddled.”

“I know that. But I’m selfish and coddling you makes _me_ feel better.” And wasn’t that the truth.

“Honestly, you are such a pain.”

“And anyway,” KID said, grinning. “I love it when you get angry and stand up for yourself. It’s true, antagonizing you pure-hearted, truth-loving, justice-bound detectives is one of the greatest joys in life~” _Truths. Truths produce the best lies._

“I am definitely kicking a soccer ball at your head at the next heist.”

The casual mention of a “next heist” sent a beat-quick ripple of strong, confusing emotion through Kaito but he casually smoothed it over.

“Thanks for the warning, Tantei-kun~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess this chapter sorta broke [solomonara](http://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/pseuds/solomonara/works)'s heart. Oops >.>
> 
> HUGSSSS
> 
> Next chapter Friday I think. Please look forward to it~!


	5. Chapter 5

_Evening, August 15 th _

“So basically, I told my mother once and for all that it doesn’t matter that Makoto-san isn’t a company man because _I’m_ going to run the company and… and she just _agreed_. Like, I’m gonna begin this _career_ after a little more school. Like, I’m gonna take over for Papa when he decides to retire.”

Kaito whistled, long and low. “No wonder you needed to get away for a while.” He leaned back on the stool he’d pulled up to the island counter in the villa’s kitchen. “What did you tell her before you left?”

“Well, _I_ agreed and then I told her that, since she approved, Makoto-san and I would be taking a long weekend at the villa.”

“Nice cover,” Kaito said with a smile. “You think she bought it?”

Sonoko shrugged. Behind her, the pan Makoto was tending sizzled temptingly on the stovetop. “No, but anyone else would have and I think that’s good enough for her. I mean, she’s my _mom_ , you know? I’m gonna need more training if I’m ever gonna get to the point where I can pull the political wool over _her_ eyes.”

“Dinner’s ready,” Makoto said. He seemed particularly in his element somehow with a tasting cup in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. The pot and skillet behind him were both steaming, suffusing the kitchen in rich and tangy scents.

Kaito’s stomach rumbled. “I’ll get the plates!” He hopped up and pulled three of the dishes down, but he only set two on the counter, spinning the third on the tip of his finger without thinking about it. But when he realized what he was doing he almost dropped it. Sonoko squawked, staring with her mouth open as Kaito snatched it out of the air before it could drop farther than waist-level.

“Did you just _drop_ that?”

“No, I just caught it,” Kaito said. He set the dish down with the others for Makoto to fill and kept his back firmly to Sonoko.

“No, you dropped it. Like, slipped up and dropped it. I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“Everybody has bad days,” Kaito muttered. He could feel Sonoko’s posture and attitude shift behind him. Her hands were surely on her hips now, her eyes hard on his back.

“Okay,” she said, and it clearly wasn’t. “We’ll talk about it _later_ then.”

Kaito let out a sigh and picked up two of the full plates, shoving one into Sonoko’s hands. Makoto followed quietly with a sad sort of nervousness about him as they moved to the dining room.

“Anyway,” Kaito said, monitoring his tone so that the good cheer in it would not sound false. “I think we’re probably not done talking about _your_ stuff. What brought on your self-test of courage?”

Sonoko abruptly looked caught. “Uh, well…” There was a quick, stolen glance with Makoto which told Kaito that Makoto already knew the answer. So it was something she felt awkward saying to _Kaito_ , specifically. He decided not-so-bad-by-comparison bait would be the best strategy.

“You’re not pregnant or something, are you?”

“What? _No!_ ” Sonoko shouted, and she picked up the nearest available projectile. It happened to be one of her chopsticks and Kaito caught it between his fingers. Not missing a beat despite a pronounced blush, Makoto slid one of his own chopsticks toward Sonoko’s plate then took the projectile chopstick that Kaito handed to him from across the table.

“Just checking,” Kaito said with a real grin.

“No,” Sonoko said again, solidly. “It’s just that, dammit, if you guys could do something like… like _that_ , then I can do _this_ – I can be chairman of the company.”

Kaito felt something cold press through him but he kept still. He hadn’t been expecting _that month_ to come up out of nowhere. But, he could see how it made sense. Ran, Makoto, Hattori, Hakuba, Shinichi, and Kaito had all been directly involved in what was, in the end, a major blow against a global crime syndicate. Sonoko had been stuck in the safehouse, worrying.

Kaito bit the inside of his lip hard and dredged up a casual tone. “Well I hope you didn’t need something like _that_ just to know what the rest of us knew all along,” he said, nose in the air. “It’s only natural that you’ll be able to handle the company. It’s what you’re good at.”

“Well _excuse me_ for having a scary mother!” Sonoko said, pointing with both chopsticks now. “You’re a jerk and I demand to be allowed to hug you later.”

“I _suppose_ I’ll allow it,” Kaito said with another grin. He snatched a piece of pork from Sonoko’s plate instead of his own, just to be annoying.

The rest of the meal was a genuinely lighthearted relief.

 

It was after Makoto had gone to take a bath that Sonoko cornered Kaito again, and he let her. It was, after all, the main reason he’d wanted to come out to the villa in the first place.

“It was my very first audition,” he began when she pressed. “Well, other than the one… _before_.” And that was his life now. Before and After.

Sonoko nodded him along as she sipped at some kind of tall, fizzy green drink. Kaito poked absently at his chocolate ice cream.

“I get up to perform and the scout looks me up and down and goes–” His voice shifted but only in tone, matching his memory perfectly. “‘Oh, you’re that kid that bailed on the Big Three. Heard you got mixed up in some shady business with your… _boy_ friend. Well, go on, if you can make it worth the trouble.’”

Sonoko’s mouth had dropped open. Kaito concentrated on his ice cream.

“I want her name,” Sonoko finally demanded. “She’ll never work in this town again–”

“Sonoko,” Kaito said firmly, but he was smiling a little. “I don’t want your name getting mixed up with mine right now. That’s the _last_ thing you need while you’re trying to build yourself up for a smooth transition.” He could see in her eyes that she knew that already, but the thought counted for quite a lot as far as he was concerned.

“Well at least tell me you gave her an earful,” Sonoko huffed.

“Heh, well, I might have told her that I’d rather walk out and get a reputation of ‘bailing’ than spend one more second indulging a closed-minded, discriminatory snob like her. But… I paid for that.”

“What do you mean?” Sonoko asked slowly.

“It’s getting harder and harder to even find someone who’ll give me a chance. Between the people who _agree_ with her, the people who think I should have handled it better, and the people I’ve messed up in front of because I’m so… _distracted_ …” His voice dropped and he mumbled at the carton of chocolate, “I’m starting to think I really… blew my chance.”

Sonoko’s legs were crossed, her foot bobbing at high speed underneath the table, and everything about her expression – her tight-lipped, fierce-eyed, stare – said she didn’t accept that. Kaito wasn’t quite sure he could handle the forced compliments and reassurances that typically came from friends in this position though.

That was why he’d gone to Sonoko.

“Okay,” she said. “I think I can do something about that.” Kaito’s head came up, eyes wide, but Sonoko plowed on. “Don’t say a word about the Suzuki family name; just trust me. Like you said, this is what I’m good at. Let’s move on to the real problem, though. You haven’t so much as _mentioned_ Shinichi this whole time. What’s going on with you two?”

“Uh.” It was just a weak sound from the back of his throat as he shrank in his chair. Sonoko just stared, unyielding, over her straw. “Well things are… tense? I guess?”

“Kaito. He’s not here. You need to talk about it.”

“Geez, what are you, my therapist?” He dug into the ice cream again.

“When it comes to Shinichi?” She propped her elbow on the table and her cheek against her hand. “Pretty much. Cause I’ve known him longer than you and I won’t take his side.”

“There’s no _sides_ ,” Kaito insisted, because that was important. “He’s not doing anything wrong–”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“I’m serious.” He stared across the table, assessing, but Sonoko was no fool. She was perfectly aware of the situation. Of everything that had happened. “Lately,” Kaito sighed. “I wonder if I’m not what Shinichi needs right now.”

Sonoko’s hand slipped from her cheek and her arm thudded onto the table. Her expression was painfully flat. “Okay,” she started. “You’ve been through a _lot_. I guess you’re allowed a little indulgent moping, but you have to know how ridiculous that actually is. How do you think Shinichi would feel if you said that to him?”

“Insulted probably,” Kaito muttered. “Cause he’s a masochist.”

“That is not something I ever needed to know about Shinichi.”

“That’s not how I meant it and you know it!”

“So, what?” Sonoko asked, twirling her straw. “You think you’re not what he needs? You’re gonna leave him?”

“No!” Kaito shot back, and the cold, fluttery feeling all through his chest and stomach at even the thought was one of the most bizarre reassurances he’d ever experienced. He physically knew that _leaving Shinichi_ could never be the right answer. “Just… Maybe I need to change,” he tried instead, tasting it. _Maybe I need to choose…_

Sonoko raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. “You think Shinichi’s changed? Or is he the same mystery-obsessed, tactless jerk, just hurting right now. Do you _really_ think he’d want you to change?”

_But KID is literally a lure for danger. That’s his purpose; his whole foundation. And I’m still…_ His hand moved up, clutching at the front of his shirt. _I still want to be KID._ “I don’t know what else to do.”

“Trust him,” Sonoko said, simple but firm. “You can do that, right? I mean, I think you’ve been doing that all this time.”

The way she said it hinted that she knew just how true that was and Kaito’s instincts – _KID’s_ instincts – bristled. He felt somehow guilty for that.

“And you should think of yourself, too,” Sonoko added with a casual air that broke some of the tension. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “He’s not the only one hurt, you know? You deserve just as much support as you’ve been giving him.”

“But–”

Sonoko glared. Kaito ducked his head.

_But I don’t know how to ask for that._

 

That night, Kaito lay wide awake, missing Shinichi – missing the comfort of knowing Shinichi was right there with him, calm and safe. That warmth was what he’d hoped to have for the rest of their lives, but if he had to _choose_ …

_Is KID just a selfish obsession now?_ He squinted at the ceiling, trying to build answers out of unfamiliar shadows. _Can I really go back to jewel heists after this? No one’s looking for Pandora. It’s not_ for _anything anymore._

_…Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad about how much I'm dragging this out. Will try to update faster :P lol I'll shoot for Sunday night for the next one. Please look forward to it~!
> 
> P.S. I kind of love Sonoko. I can't help it.


	6. Chapter 6

_Evening, August 16 th _

Kaito didn’t have any answers when he came home to the Kudou manor the next evening, but he did feel better after the little change of pace. It had eased one kind of stress and made room for another, really, but that didn’t matter at that particular moment.

“Shinichi?”

The house was dark and he didn’t get an answer but he took off his shoes anyway and drifted through the entryway toward the library. Maybe it was a subtle sound, or a glimpse of shoes in the genkan, but he had a feeling Shinichi hadn’t gone to Agasa’s. He was there, and Kaito knew that with more certainty than he was conscious of.

His eyes had adjusted by the time he made it to the doorway of the library and he saw Shinichi sitting on the floor. His back was pressed to the seat of an armchair and his violin was resting on the floor between his legs, the neck of it propped back against his chest. The bow in his hand was just resting against his thigh and he was looking up at Kaito with an expression Kaito couldn’t put words to. There was fear there, and exhaustion. Pain and apology.

“Prove it to me,” Shinichi said, and apology won out over the others in his tone. He gestured with the bow then, indicating Kaito up and down. “I’m sorry, just… please.”

Kaito smiled a little and pinched his own cheek. “No mask,” he said. Then he spread his arms. “Can’t say I’m unarmed, but can I join you?”

“Give me the card gun first.”

The laugh that Kaito let out was openly edged with nervous worry. The card gun appeared, resting harmlessly on his open hand, and he crouched slowly to slide it across the floor to Shinichi. Shinichi set the violin and bow aside and picked it up.

“Not that it’ll do you much good,” Kaito said as he rose to his feet again. “You can’t aim the thing worth a damn.”

The first real flicker of relief rushed everything else in Shinichi’s eyes away in that moment and Kaito was at his side in a blink then. Shinichi dropped the gun, a hard _thunk_ against the worn wood floor, and then he was clinging to Kaito, the two of them crouched and tangled awkwardly on the floor.

“Shinichi,” Kaito whispered – laughed even – relieved. He kept a firm hold of Shinichi’s arms and guided him around until Kaito was sitting on the floor against the armchair and Shinichi was sideways on his lap with Kaito’s arms tight around his waist and Shinichi clutching the front of Kaito’s shirt, leaning into his chest.

“You didn’t sleep, did you,” Kaito murmured.

Shinichi shook his head. “But I was mostly okay. Until you came back. Then it just sort of… Well.”

“It’s okay.”

They were quiet for what felt like a long time, but then Shinichi murmured, almost under his breath, “It’s not.”

“What?”

“It’s not okay. _None_ of this is okay and I don’t wanna… _act_ like it is anymore so can we both just fall apart for a minute here?”

There was suddenly a tight knot at the back of Kaito’s throat. The realization hit all at once, brutally: that he’d only shown a strong face to Shinichi, thinking it was for his sake, but all it had done was make Shinichi feel worse – feel like he had to be as strong as Kaito was pretending to be. Really, Kaito had just been hiding from Shinichi, and had run to someone else when it got to be too much.

Kaito’s arms tightened around Shinichi’s waist and he didn’t answer. Then a few warm drops tapped onto Shinichi’s arm. He looked down at Kaito’s face but Kaito’s eyes were squeezed shut, his head bowed. He was sitting perfectly still, but when he finally took a breath it jumped through him.

“Kaito…”

Kaito just shook his head and ducked down further, hiding his face against Shinichi’s shoulder.

The emotions that crept through Shinichi at the sight were complicated. With Kaito finally breaking down, Shinichi no longer felt the need to do the same. There was no doubt in his mind that he would later, but seeing Kaito hurt stirred something stronger in him.

Shinichi’s grip eased from Kaito’s shirt and he pressed close, slipping one arm around Kaito’s waist while the other combed slowly through his hair, keeping him tucked under Shinichi’s chin as Kaito’s tears continued to silently drip free. And as they did, Shinichi realized that maybe it wasn’t that Kaito had been _trying_ to be strong these past three weeks. Maybe it had been the same feeling in him at seeing Shinichi hurt that made him stronger. And finally Shinichi felt like he was catching up to himself – to the person he was _before_.

The tears stopped after a while, then Kaito’s residual sniffling and wiping at his face too, but neither of them made any move to get up, clinging to the point of numbness and not caring.

“Are you okay?” Shinichi eventually whispered into renewed silence.

Kaito’s voice was thick. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s just… a lot at once.” He’d almost lost Shinichi, _had_ lost him for a month and had run himself ragged to get him back. He was worried, irrationally, _ridiculously_ , that Shinichi really didn’t want to marry him but he couldn’t press the issue, not now. He hadn’t finished school, he had no job, no prospects, no idea what should come next – what he was supposed to do, what to do about KID, what Shinichi needed, just… no idea.

“This is selfish,” Shinichi murmured. “But I’m glad I’m not the only one freaking out.”

Kaito took in a slow, shuddering breath. “Pretty sure we’re entitled to some freaking out at this point.”

“Took you long enough to actually show it.” The words were light, just a hint of laughter underneath, but Kaito clung harder.

“I didn’t want to… I don’t know. It didn’t seem right to say anything after what you’d been through.” It was a confession. For all that he knew _now_ that that had been a mistake, he’d still done it and he felt guilty.

“I know,” Shinichi said. “And I _hate_ that.” Kaito’s stomach dropped but Shinichi kept going. “I don’t want you to do that,” he said. “To treat me differently. I want to know what’s bothering you and I want to help. It makes me feel… more in control, I guess.”

“I hate that I couldn’t see that,” Kaito whispered against Shinichi’s shirt.

“You were upset,” Shinichi whispered back, and Kaito thought he could hear a hint of a smirk in it.

“I’m still upset.”

“Me too.”

“Well good then,” Kaito sighed. “Then let’s just… I don’t know, hold each other together for a little while.” His arms squeezed around Shinichi’s waist again and Shinichi let his hands move firm and slow across Kaito’s back.

“Yeah,” he said. “That sounds pretty good.”

 

They were curled together in bed later that night when Kaito finally worked up the courage to ask.

“Hey Shinichi,” he whispered against the top of Shinichi’s head. “Were you serious before… when you said you didn’t want to get married?”

Shinichi made a soft, noncommittal noise into Kaito’s shirt. “It’s not like I’m against it. I guess I feel like it doesn’t matter either way since it won’t be legally recognized. We can get married if you want.” All this in a sleepy, unconcerned mutter, but it had Kaito’s heart leaping just the same. From the way Shinichi pushed even closer and touched a kiss to his chest, Kaito suspected it hadn’t gone unnoticed. He let himself laugh a little and held on tighter.

“How romantic of you,” he drawled with a smirk.

“I just meant–”

“I’m just teasing–”

“I just meant,” Shinichi repeated, insistent. “That as long as we stay together, I don’t care _how_ we do it. We can make it official or whatever if you want, but I don’t need that to know you’ll be with me through anything.”

Kaito’s face was getting hot and he stared down at the top of Shinichi’s head. “Geez,” he muttered, overwhelmed. “You’re not even trying. That’s just pure honest fact to you, isn’t it.”

“Am I wrong?”

“Heh. No, I guess not.” Kaito shifted, inching down to put himself level with Shinichi, and tilted his face gently to allow for a soft kiss. “I love you.”

“Wanna get married?” Shinichi laughed.

It was amazing, Kaito thought, how _okay_ everything could be when Shinichi had him – holding on to him, holding him together. Everything else could be crumbling but with Shinichi right there it all looked _small_.

“You know,” Kaito said with a smile. “I just might.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I declare this the hugging chapter! lol and thank goodness, those hugs were far overdue.
> 
> I'm thinking Thursday night or Friday for the next one. Please look forward to it~! <3


	7. Chapter 7

_Afternoon, August 22 nd _

The full trust and confidence Shinichi and Kaito had reestablished with each other was inarguably a relief. It meant that they both had a truly safe space to return to at the end of the day, and that was something they desperately needed.

At the same time, it threw sharper light on the problems still persisting in the rest of their lives. Shinichi was still lost – he didn’t harbor any illusions about where he stood now with his schooling, and he’d been shut out from the police force. He had nowhere to direct his energy and nothing to focus on. His leg had healed – his limp gone, leaving only the scars – but Megure was still turning him away. It forced Shinichi to face the fact that it had never been about the physical damage he’d taken, as much as he’d wanted to believe that. All he was left with now was restlessness and, if he was being honest with himself, a clinging depression.

Kaito was facing his own demons. He was still jobless and still without prospects. Now, on top of that, he felt a pressing guilt for having pushed the marriage issue with Shinichi before sorting that out. They were both solidly unemployed, neither with a complete education, and Kaito felt responsible for that whether he should have or not.

Then he received the call from Sonoko.

“Her name’s Jody Hopper,” Sonoko explained. “She agreed to fly in to meet with you but she’ll only be in town for a week. She wants to see you as soon as possible.”

“You’re insane, Sonoko,” Kaito breathed out around a lump in his throat. “I told you not to do this–”

“And I told you I know what I’m doing. Now it sounds like things have gotten better between you and Shinichi, so I expect you to be back on your game when you go to meet her. Don’t make me look like an idiot for insisting on your skill, you got it?”

“No pressure,” Kaito scoffed.

“You work well under pressure.”

“Heh. All right. You’ve got a deal.”

 

_Evening, August 22 nd _

 

It was times like this that living a double life was particularly frustrating. After all, Kaitou KID had a good rapport with Jody Hopper, but Kuroba Kaito had left things with her on a somewhat tense note. And that was why, sitting across a café table from her now, he could do nothing more than act a part that might only ruin him further.

“As I recall,” Kaito said, very subtly stiff. “You’re not the type to be impressed by sleight of hand.” An ace of clubs appeared between his fingers but he almost immediately flung it off in a random direction. “Certainly you are also used to trained birds.” This time a dove appeared in a small puff of smoke, cradled in his hands. It stood and fluttered up to his shoulder, settling in.

“Of course,” Hopper answered. She took a calm sip of tea.

“Redirection,” Kaito continued. He reached across the table and pulled the ace of clubs from under the cuff of Hopper’s blazer sleeve. “All commonplace. And I didn’t have time or an appropriate venue to rig any gimmicks. So I wonder what it is you would _like_ to see.”

The tea cup clinked gently against its saucer. “And I wonder why you’re coming at me with such a combative attitude, Kuroba-san. Hardly the way to make a good impression.”

Kaito stared down at the red rose that was suddenly in his hand. “Well, after all,” he said. “The last time we met, you compared my father and James Hopper to a pickpocket and said that magicians were no more than swindlers. I guess I don’t understand why you’re even meeting with me.”

Hopper’s lips were working toward something like a smile and Kaito catalogued the reaction. “You have a pretty good memory.”

“I have a _very_ good memory. And a lot of respect for both of the magicians you tried to slander that day.”

“Okay,” Hopper said on a sigh. She leaned back against her chair. “We got off on the wrong foot, I’ll give you that. But I’d very much like to see that you have the maturity to take the high road. My troupe doesn’t need a punk kid who likes to pick fights.”

He wanted to smile. He felt it, but he kept it hidden. He was close to mending this bridge and setting things back on track, but not quite there yet. “Yeah. You _are_ right; I’m acting pretty immature right now. I guess it’s just… Joining a troupe under someone who disparages magic? Maybe no one else will take me at this point, but I don’t think I can compromise my values like that.”

Hopper leaned an elbow on the table, her cheek on her hand. “Then why did you agree to meet with me, Kuroba-san?”

“Because,” he said, straightforward and clear. “You had said that show five years ago would be the last, and it wasn’t. I heard that Kaitou KID showed up, and if anybody could set someone right as far as magic is concerned–”

Hopper was snickering and Kaito let her take over. “A fanboy, huh?” she said, all mirth in her voice and eyes. “You look like him, you know.”

Kaito’s eyes skated off to the side the way they would if he were actually embarrassed. “I kind of figured I did,” he mumbled. “People have said he looks like my boyfriend, and my boyfriend looks a lot like me.”

Hopper just grinned. “Well that’s fine. Maybe we could even play it up, someday. But for now, all cards on the table.” There was a sharp flutter and the café table was suddenly littered with cards, covering every inch and even strewn beneath Hopper’s saucer and Kaito’s cup. Kaito immediately noticed that Hopper’s eyes were on his dove, as though she expected it to startle, but the dove was calm as ever. Hopper smirked. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Kaitou KID ‘set me right,’” she said. “But he did open my eyes to something I desperately needed to see.

“I do regret the things I said. I was bitter over the loss of my family and I blamed magic because I didn’t know what else to do. I guess we all deal with loss in different ways, but I’ve come to realize my mistake and I don’t want it to stand in the way of seeing Kuroba Toichi’s son perform real magic from the heart. Bitterness is _not_ what my troupe needs, Kuroba-san. And as much as I do respect your father, I can only do what’s right for my troupe.”

This time Kaito let the smile through. “It’s a relief to hear that, Hopper-san. To be honest, I don’t like holding grudges.” He looked down at his empty hands for a few seconds and took a quiet breath, but his mind was already clear and calm. He selected a card from the center of the table. “Magic is only _right_ when it’s from the heart.” In a flick, the card became another rose, but then something started to swell up from the petals until a large, round balloon was floating up to the ceiling above their table. It burst with a muted pop a moment later and sent a shower of powder-fine, shimmering glitter down. Behind the counter, a barista let out an indignant squawk and Kaito grinned. He held up a finger to her, asking her to wait, then spread his hands, looking up at the cloud of settling glitter… but it never landed. In a few moments it had all dissipated in the air, leaving no evidence of the trick at all, not even scraps of balloon. A few of the customers who had taken notice started clapping and laughing before they went back to their conversations. Kaito was beaming.

“I thought you said you didn’t have any gimmicks today,” Hopper said, and Kaito could tell she was trying for devil’s advocate but was also not putting the effort in to really mean it. She was still smiling.

“Is that what I said?” Kaito asked innocently with a quick wink. “Look, what it really comes down to is that I’ve struggled with my own issues long enough to know where you’re coming from, and long enough to know that’s not who I want to be. And even if I’m not the right fit for your troupe, I’m really glad I got the chance to talk to you again, Hopper-san.”

Hopper leaned her cheek on her hand, her elbow shifting the cards still scattered on the table. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kuroba-san. I never said you weren’t the right fit. You’re raw, definitely. I can tell you’ve been on your own for a long time. Fitting in with a troupe will be a challenge for you, but I also think that you’re reasonable and adaptable, and I want you to have resources and guidance available to you to help you grow as a magician.”

She straightened up then. “Consider this your verbal offer, Kuroba-san. We can make room for you in the troupe, but it’s a lot of travel. We’ll be on tour around the world for at least a year. The troupe covers flights and lodging, and I can offer you the standard beginning salary for a nameless rookie magician.” Her lips were quirked like she expected him to argue. “But that’s it.”

“That’s pretty damn generous, Hopper-san,” Kaito replied. “But… would you mind if I think it over? Something like this… It’s a big commitment. I need to talk to Shinichi first.”

For the first time, her expression softened. Kaito hadn’t even realized it had been hard. Her green eyes seemed warmer now, her jaw less set, her lips less pinched. “Glad to hear it, Kuroba-san,” she said, and she handed him a business card. “I’m in Japan ‘til the end of the week. Please let me know what you decide.”

 

It was that night, going over and over his conversation with Jody Hopper and how to broach the subject with Shinichi, that the thought occurred to him, sudden enough to be startling.

_“Magic is only_ right _when it’s from the heart.” Maybe… KID_ does _still have a purpose beyond the search._

He couldn’t deny it. Even if he wanted KID for nothing more than magic and fun, that was okay. And now that he was accepting that, he only wanted it more. Anything else – the danger and the continued search – could be worked out _with_ Shinichi. But above all else, it was _okay_ to still want KID.

Shinichi shuddered a little in his sleep and Kaito’s hand went immediately to the back of Shinichi’s neck, his fingertips swirling slow, gentle circles there until the tension left him again with a quiet rush of breath against Kaito’s shirt.

_I’ll find a way to make this work, Shinichi,_ he thought, staring up at the dark ceiling. _I don’t think I’m the only one who needs this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to do the next update Sunday, for Christmas Eve. Just three more to go! Please look forward to it~


	8. Chapter 8

_Late night, August 25 th _

 

_“I never wanted my reckless way of doing things to become the standard. I don’t want anyone else to have to–”_

_“They kicked me off the task force. I didn’t pass the psych evaluation.”_

_“You’ve had this_ paranoia _about the Organization from the beginning. You’re not yourself when they’re involved.”_

_“We’re never doing this again. There was a cost, and it’s not worth it.”_

_“I know what you went through. And if you were on the other side of this case looking at the person who had been held captive and threatened and abused and_ scared _, what would you call them? You are a_ victim _.”_

_“Prove it to me. I’m sorry, just… please.”_

_“It’s not okay._ None _of this is okay and I don’t wanna…_ act _like it is anymore.”_

_“I didn’t want to… I don’t know. It didn’t seem right to say anything after what you’d been through.”_

 

The last four weeks echoed in Shinichi’s head and he sighed as he pushed through the door to his bedroom. He stopped short of turning on the light. KID was sitting in the open window.

“What’s going on?” Shinichi asked. He cast a wary glance around the room for some clue as to why Kaito might be in the suit, but nothing seemed amiss.

“Well,” KID said softly, eyes uncharacteristically on the floor instead of on him. “I’m asking you to run away with me. Thought this…” He gestured to himself. “Seemed appropriate.”

“What?” Shinichi took a step forward and KID looked up, his breath leaving him in a small, relieved laugh. No matter what, if Shinichi was moving _toward_ him, that was good.

“There’s this magician,” KID started, sliding out of the window to stand in front of it. “Jody Hopper. She offered me a position with her troupe but it’s a lot of traveling. They’re from England and they do shows all over the world. They’re never in one place for long.”

Shinichi was quiet for what felt like a long time but KID didn’t push.

“You said… run away with you,” Shinichi eventually said. “Did you already accept?”

“No.”

“But you want to.”

“Not without you.”

Shinichi laughed – a painfully uncertain sound. “I’d make a crap assistant.”

“Not really what I had in mind,” KID answered, his smirk somehow reassuring.

“Are you sure? You have _no_ reputation as a magician. If I had to guess, Hopper-san’s doing this as a favor… Something to do with Sonoko?”

“Partly Sonoko,” KID admitted. “Partly my old man, I think. Hopper-san had family connections with him.”

Shinichi just nodded. “She’s still taking a chance on you. The troupe isn’t going to pay for an extra person’s travel and I… You’d have to support us both on your own. I’m not gonna ask my parents for so much when I’m not even in school or taking care of the house for them anymore.”

None of it was a rejection and KID felt his heart start to race as the possibility of it all became more real. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that.” KID went to the desk and opened the laptop there, waving Shinichi over. He pulled something up with quick, gloved fingers then sat Shinichi down in front of it. On the screen, glowing in the dark room, was a website.

“‘Kudou Shinichi: Traveling Great Detective,’” Shinichi read from the top. There were links for English and French versions of the site just below the kanji, and below that were sections blocked off with sample text for schedules and maps.

“It’s not live, obviously,” KID said. “You’d get full control over the design and what’s included. We can set most things to private and only note which country you’ll be in at any given time. Anything more specific would be done over closed communication with your clients, for their sake as well as yours. …What do you think?”

“How long have you–?”

“Hopper-san turned up at the beginning of this week. I came up with this yesterday.”

Shinichi breathed out a faint, disbelieving laugh. “And how exactly would this work?” he asked. “Like, advertising, or–?”

“Mostly social media. You’ve already got a huge following–”

“Sure, but you’ve got this set up as a business. If I’m gonna be charging for the cases I take… I don’t know how that would work. I mean, earning income through self-employment while bouncing all over the world?”

“Oh, that.” KID shrugged. “Yeah, me neither.”

“Kaito–”

“But,” he interrupted firmly. “My old man wasn’t part of a troupe. He was basically self-employed – it was just him and Jii-chan and my mom helping out sometimes – but he held shows around the world. Jii-chan gave me the name of the accountant who helped him out. She also helped my mom with her investments after Oyaji died. It’ll be fine.”

“Wow.” Shinichi’s fingertips slid along the edge of the laptop, a little smile tugging at his lips. “You really have thought of everything.”

“Of course.” KID leaned over to take Shinichi’s hands and pulled him to his feet, facing him in the moonlight. “I couldn’t have even considered this if it meant either leaving you or taking away what you love doing.”

“Even if it was your best shot at getting your name out there?” Shinichi said. “I couldn’t do that to you either.” His hands squeezed KID’s and he shifted a little, looking down in a way that told KID he was probably starting to blush. “Ask me,” he said.

KID grinned. “Kudou Shinichi… will you run away with me?”

Shinichi’s heart was doing something stupid that made it difficult to get the word out but once he’d pushed back the nervous excitement and the details and the worry about everything _else_ he answered, “Anywhere.”

The kiss KID swept him into whisked away every last little clinging shadow of doubt. Shinichi let them go and latched on to KID instead, gripping fistfuls of cape and pushing the kiss deeper with insatiable insistence. It had been so long since he’d held Kaito like this and just as long since Kaito had held him back, his fingers clutching desperately at Shinichi’s shirt and in his hair in a way that made him feel _needed_ – something he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. But the next thing he knew, Kaito was pulling back.

“We don’t have to–” KID murmured, breathless, but Shinichi could hardly be bothered to pause.

“I feel pretty okay right now,” he said, already dragging KID in again by the lapels.

“Heh. ‘Pretty okay’ isn’t really–” He stopped at the look Shinichi was giving him, steady and calm but also _wanting_ , and Kaito gave in with a laugh. “Okay, I got it,” he said. “…Your call.”

“Mm.”

While Shinichi considered, KID moved closer, but his hold this time was gentle and his kisses were all nuzzled against the side of Shinichi’s head. Shinichi closed his eyes and let his hands smooth slowly across KID’s back under the cape and glider supports. “I want top receive,” he eventually answered. “But you prep.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

 

They took their time. There was the barest hint of hesitance on both sides – Kaito knew that no matter what Shinichi _said_ , he hadn’t felt comfortable enough for this since Before. Since… his kidnapping and torture. Kaito still had to force himself to face the reality of it, to put it to words, and he had no idea if Shinichi was ready to do the same. But in the dark Shinichi seemed less bothered by the mottled discoloration marking his leg that Kaito knew better than to acknowledge in any way. And by the time their clothes had fallen away and Kaito was lying under Shinichi, he knew that nothing had really changed between them, and Shinichi didn’t need anything more than to feel the strong, rushed rhythm of Kaito’s heart to know he was safe.

 

They stayed up together through the night after that, and past dawn. They spent hours huddled over the laptop, hours looking into Hopper’s troupe, hours dragging out old luggage and talking over what they would need to do to prepare to be gone for an extended period of time. And when Kaito finally fell asleep, Shinichi was the one to curl protectively around him, whispering tiny, heartfelt words of thanks into Kaito’s hair as he held him close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is mostly a repeat, but at least now there's deeper context and an added bonus bit on the end~
> 
> Merry holidays to all, and I'll see you again on the 26th with the second to last chapter! Please look forward to it~! <3


	9. Chapter 9

_Evening, August 27 th _

 

There was a distinct lack of closure when KID turned away from Merlot’s high security cell, marking the last Organization transport to wrap up all that they had faced in the last two months. Still, that was all right. It _wasn’t_ over after all. They hadn’t brought down the Organization. As always, there was still more to do.

And it could wait.

“Nakamori-keibu,” KID said, stopping the inspector at his patrol car.

“Ah, KID-san, good work,” Nakamori said with the casual tiredness of an inspector to one of his men after a long, hard case.

KID felt something warm seep through his chest. “Inspector,” he said again, and he let his grin grow.

Nakamori suddenly seemed to realize what he’d done – how comfortable he’d become, even with KID standing right there in full regalia – and sputtered.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to take a little break for my health, starting now,” KID said before Nakamori could get his words together.

The inspector instantly sharpened. “A break? Your health? How long?”

“I’m not certain,” KID answered, casual and honest. “But I _do_ intend to come back, so be ready. The truce, after all, is over now.”

“What? But–”

“I’ve decided to end it. I’ll come back, and when I do it will be to steal all those priceless treasures sleeping behind lock and key. I expect to face your best resistance at that time, Inspector~”

For a few seconds Nakamori just stared at KID. Then he held out his hand. “All right, KID,” he said seriously. “When you come back, you can bet we’ll be ready. But until then, thank you. We couldn’t have come this far without your help.”

He’d made it surprisingly simple. There was no denial that KID was still a criminal. There was no denial that KID had been a partner. The past was past and, somehow, they could go back to how it had been.

KID took Nakamori’s hand in both of his. “It was a pleasure working with you, Inspector. Please let the task force know to expect me. And thank you.” He was gone in a cloud of smoke then, and Nakamori was left holding a playing card, KID’s signature doodle on the backing and a message on the front:

_Please keep the number I provided for contact during this case. I trust you to only use it in true emergencies and not to unfair advantage. If you ever need help, please call. ~Kaitou KID_

 

“You sure you didn’t want to be there for the last transport?” Shinichi asked. He was picking apart the piece of sushi in front of him with his chopsticks, leaving it a deconstructed mess on the small plate. “This is your case too now, you know.”

“No it ain’t,” Hattori said, waving him off. “Not really. If you can’t be there, I got no right.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

Shinichi hadn’t taken his eyes from the scattered grains of rice and strips of seaweed in a while. Hattori chewed on the ends of his chopsticks uncomfortably as he watched him.

“Hey, Kudou,” he finally said, lowering his voice. “Come on. You can bounce back from this–”

Shinichi’s fingers went white against his own chopsticks. “Bounce back?” he said, and it was a little sharp. He thought of everything that had led up to his kidnapping – the long days and nights, the careful planning, hardly seeing Kaito, and, when he did, thinking always of the case. Of the Organization. “Maybe I don’t _want_ to.”

Hattori stared at Shinichi across the table, unsure of what to say in the face of a fellow detective who’d gone through hell for his case – the one he’d sworn he’d never leave unfinished – and come out the other end changed.

“Kaito and I,” Shinichi said, his voice low. “We’re leaving Japan. Traveling around for a while.” He hadn’t wanted to tell Hattori like this – in frustration and maybe even anger – but that was what he had right now, and Hattori was good for that. “I already dropped out of school. I’m done trying to force myself into a life that obviously doesn’t… _fit_ the way I wanted it to. The way I hoped it would.”

“Sure…” Hattori said slowly. But Hattori never hesitated over anything for long. “I mean, if that’s what ya decided, I’m with ya. Just as long as it’s really what ya _want_.”

“I don’t actually know for sure. But I know I want to try it.”

Hattori reached across the small table to clap his hand against Shinichi’s shoulder, hard enough to jostle him in his seat. Shinichi looked up and found Hattori’s eyes locked on him in that heated green stare that was all headstrong confidence. “Then ya gotta do it,” Hattori said. “Nothin’ more to it than that.” He settled back again and added, “But I’ll definitely miss havin’ ya around, Kudou. I will. Nobody gets inta trouble like you do.”

Shinichi let out a laugh, and the carefree grin that flashed across his face for that moment made Hattori’s chest seize with pride.

_As long as I can still help ya, Kudou – even just a little, just like this – then at least I know I haven’t totally failed as your friend._

 

Shinichi waited at the Osaka Police headquarters after parting ways with Hattori. The Organization members were being confined all over the country and Kaito’s last stop was near enough to Osaka that it made more sense for them to go home together. Still, Shinichi knew that what he was doing – hiding at home, or behind Kaito, or with the police – would have to end eventually. Once they left Japan, the police wouldn’t know him and Kaito would be busy with the troupe. And Shinichi would have cases again. He _wanted_ to solve cases again. He could pull himself together for that.

While he was waiting, Shinichi pulled out his phone – a replacement he’d gotten very soon after returning home. _I might as well get this over with,_ he thought, skimming through the contacts. He landed on Fujiko’s number and hit call before he could change his mind.

“Better make it quick, I’ve got incoming in thirty seconds!” Fujiko answered cheerfully.

Shinichi’s mouth opened but the words caught in his throat for a moment before they made it out. “Incoming _what_?”

“Oh, Kudou-kun! All patched up, or should I come check on you~? Oops, I guess thirty seconds was a bit much. Hang on.”

The line seemed to go muffled but Shinichi could hear Fujiko shout “Look out below!” followed by the sound of gunfire.

“You–!” Shinichi choked. “Mine-san, what are you– _Where_ are you–”

“Never mind that,” Fujiko said, abruptly clear again. “Now, what were you calling for, my grown-up detective?”

Shinichi couldn’t help it. He shivered. “Uh, well I just– I just wanted to tell you that I haven’t forgotten my promise. KID and I agreed to meet with you if you answered our questions but we’ll be leaving Japan soon so–”

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Fujiko answered in a tone that made Shinichi worry rather a lot. “I got to spend lots of quality time with KID – let me tell you, not nearly the gentleman he’s made out to be – but I’ll come find you wherever you are soon enough~”

“Uh–”

“I’d love to chat some more, Kudou-kun, but I need to round up these men who thought they could get a piece of my action.”

“ _Um_ –” Shinichi’s eyes squeezed shut and he covered his face with his free hand.

“Honestly, nobody should be setting eyes on the same target as me.”

_Oh thank god she’s talking about something she wants to steal… I should not be this happy about that._ “Okay, just… I did also want to say thank you, Mine-san. And if you could pass that on to Lupin-san and the others next time you see them, I’d appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Kudou-kun,” Fujiko purred, and the line went dead.

The instant Shinichi took the phone from his ear, Kaito appeared beside him. Shinichi latched on to him just as quickly.

“Mine-san?” Kaito laughed, wrapping his arms around him. He felt more than saw Shinichi nod with as close as Shinichi was clinging.

“KID,” he murmured, a quiet pout against the side of Kaito’s neck. “You need to keep me safe from her. She said she’d find me anywhere.”

“Naturally I will, Tantei-kun,” Kaito replied. “I’m a gentleman, after all.”

“She said you weren’t,” Shinichi mumbled back.

Kaito made an affronted sort of scoff. “Did you defend my honor?” he demanded.

“She distracted me.”

“Hmph. Well, I guess I can forgive you.”

Shinichi had only a moment to realize what was happening when Kaito ducked down. Then there was suddenly an arm under Shinichi’s knees and another supporting his back, and his feet left the ground. Kaito carried him off toward the main road.

“We are _not_ hailing a cab like this! Put me down!”

“I clearly have to prove to you that I am a gentleman.” Kaito’s grin was sharp – worthy of a silk hat and monocle.

“This is embarrassing,” Shinichi groaned.

“You’re telling me. My own boyfriend is letting other thieves slander me.”

“I thought you said you could forgive me.”

“In due time,” Kaito purred, but he let Shinichi back onto his feet once they’d cleared the headquarters parking lot.

Shinichi sighed. “What’ll it take?” he asked

“Hm… Dinner,” Kaito decided. “Someplace nice. And a call to your parents to let them know what’s going on _before_ we leave the country.”

Shinichi’s mouth opened and an almost inaudible creaking sound came out. “That’s pretty steep. Maybe I don’t need your forgiveness after all.”

“Oh?” Kaito stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks just before they’d made it to the main road. “You’re not sorry? You… don’t think I’m a gentleman either?” He sounded hurt. There was no dramatic pout, but something about his eyes were sad and pleading and knowing it was an act did nothing to help Shinichi shake off the intense feeling of guilt the sight somehow produced.

“Okay, geez, fine, just stop looking at me like that,” Shinichi said. He pushed a hand through his hair then snatched up Kaito’s hand, dragging him along to the curb to hail a cab. Kaito managed to sneak a quick, nuzzling kiss against Shinichi’s cheek just before the car stopped in front of them, and Shinichi rolled his eyes at the way Kaito’s usual smile wiped away the guilt just as easily as he’d brought it on.

 

Walking back after a nice dinner in Tokyo, both Shinichi and Kaito stopped cold just a block from the Kudou manor. They drew closer together at the same time though neither could immediately identify the feeling of _not right_ that the street had abruptly taken on. In the absence of their conversation, it seemed unnaturally quiet – the city background noise and even the wind somehow muted and distant. When a voice carried to them in the silence, Kaito immediately put himself between Shinichi and the direction it had come from.

“Leaving Japan?” it said, then laughed a loud, high laugh that seemed to echo around them. “You’re too lucky, KID-san.”

“Akako,” Kaito said, and she appeared from wavering darkness above the empty sidewalk in front of them. Her black heels touched softly onto the pavement and a red, lightweight cloak settled around her shoulders underneath the two golden snakes that matched the band around her head. Kaito’s jaw locked. He’d never come up against Akako in full sorceress mode as himself before – only as KID.

“How many times do I have to say it, Akako,” Kaito drawled. His heart was racing, his body on high alert, and it was a struggle to quell that. It had been years since he’d seen or heard from her directly and he wasn’t at all sure if this was the same Akako that he could talk down from her occasional murderous whims. “I’m not KID.”

Akako laughed again. “That’s what I mean, KID-san. Even after everything, you’re still able to walk away and say you’re not who you are.” She put her hands on her hips, pushing back the cloak and revealing that same scant black outfit as she leaned forward and said, “It’s _only_ because there’s a fairytale here and we all want it to end happy.”

“Wait!”

Kaito started at Shinichi’s voice, loud behind him, and Shinichi pushed him out of the way to face Akako. “Shinichi!” Kaito hissed, gripping his arm, but Shinichi was ignoring him, his eyes locked on Akako.

“What do you know?” Shinichi demanded.

Akako straightened up but kept her hands on her hips. “Why do you think I know anything?”

“A fairytale,” Shinichi repeated. “Vermouth said the same thing to me.” He glanced back at Kaito. “That I was living in a fairytale and my magician was the next to go. She said that right before she knocked me out and took me to that room.”

“What? But they didn’t make any move at all after that.”

“No. Because Kuroba Kaito disappeared.” He looked back to Akako. “You said ‘all.’ _Who_ all wants it to end happily?”

“I only meant your friends,” Akako answered with a shrug, her tone far too innocent.

“But you also said ‘we,’” Shinichi pressed. “You were their friend. You and Kaito and Aoko and Hakuba. Why did you disappear?”

Akako gave Shinichi a long, hard look, but then she glanced at Kaito. “I’ve found that I see better from a distance. And I wanted to keep an eye on… my friends.” Her eyes had cast downward at the end and a delicate blush appeared across her pale cheeks.

The glance Shinichi shot toward Kaito said, _Stalker?_

Kaito rested his hand on Shinichi’s arm with a very slight shake of his head then looked to Akako. “Akako, if you really want to be our friend you should come hang out with us once in a while.”

“Oh?” She crossed her arms, nose in the air as she willed her blush away. “I wouldn’t expect an invitation like that from _you_.”

Another little pang of guilt slipped through Kaito. It had been happening more and more these days. Part of him wondered idly if he was finally doing that “growing up” thing that Aoko and Hakuba insisted he’d skipped up ‘til now. He played it off with a shrug and a cocky grin. “Hey, what’s a little teasing between friends? I harass Hakuba pretty much every time I see him.” He let his tone fall back to more serious levels when he added, “He’s still my friend, and he’s important to me.” Shinichi was giving him a look that he considered ignoring for his pride, but he managed to mutter, “I think we’ve all been through enough for me to admit that now.

“Anyway, Akako,” he said, readily changing the subject. “Why are you here? Did something happen? Is… something _going_ to happen?”

Almost instantly, the street seemed to take on a subtly red glow and Akako’s whole stance and tone changed, “A black shadow looms behind you,” she said, her voice commanding. “It watches, and waits, and _follows_ , and its tendrils cover this plane, scenting weakness like sharks to blood–”

“Akako, seriously,” Kaito said, exasperated, breaking the eerie tension. “Could you just _tell_ us what you saw for _once_ –?”

“It’s fine, Kaito,” Shinichi said, just as unbothered in the face of Akako’s dramatic display. “She’s just talking about the Organization. She knows we know all that already. She’s here now because she didn’t want you to leave Japan without seeing you off at least a little.”

Kaito looked a little startled, then looked to Akako who was blushing slightly again. He breathed out a laugh. “How do you like that, Akako?” he said, hands on his hips and grinning broadly. “I’ve got Shinichi on my side now. You’re gonna have a hard time being so mysterious anymore. But,” he added, straightening up with a shrug. “Feel free to come around and try your luck any time.”

He’d added a quick wink to the end and Akako gave a haughty “Hmph,” but she was casting an uncertain, sidelong glance at Shinichi, gauging.

 Shinichi slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged, smiling. “It’ll keep things interesting, that’s for sure.”

Akako instantly relaxed back into a straight-backed, confident stance. “All right then,” she declared, and her hand lashed out to point at Kaito. “Challenge accepted, Kuroba-kun. We’ll see how a magician and a detective can fare against a real magic user!” She laughed again, bright and loud in the static silence that had never lifted, and darkness wavered behind her for a moment before she faded away, the street returning to normal. When she was gone, Kaito let out a heavy sigh and sagged, and Shinichi’s hand landed on his shoulder.

“You’ve got weird friends,” he said, patting him, and then he kept on down the sidewalk like nothing had happened.

Kaito perked up a little and jogged to catch up. “Oh _you’re_ one to talk,” he murmured with a smirk, pressing his shoulder to Shinichi’s and keeping pace. “A mad inventor, a de-aged scientist, and a whole pack of international thieves.”

Shinichi caught Kaito’s hand. “Yeah,” he said. “But I’m keeping the weirdest of all for myself.”

Kaito just rolled his eyes and squeezed Shinichi’s hand. “And they say _I’m_ cheesy,” he said with a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I like this chapter. It's fun :3
> 
> The next and final chapter should be up this weekend to finish off the story and the year! Please look forward to it!


	10. Chapter 10

_Afternoon, August 28 th_

Telling Chikage and Jii that Kaito had joined a traveling magic troupe to perform on stages around the world went exactly as Kaito had expected. Jii had lit up, stumbling over words of congratulations that got progressively less coherent as his eyes grew wet. Eventually he ended up picking up his glass of iced tea and hiding behind it at their outdoor café table. Shinichi was left to awkwardly comfort him – _Comfort?_ Shinichi wondered a little frantically as he awkwardly patted Jii’s shoulder. _Is he upset that Kaito’s leaving or just proud that he’s going to be onstage like his dad? Both probably…_ – because Kaito was otherwise occupied by that point.

Chikage had let out an unearthly squeal and thrown herself at Kaito at the news. She’d ended up sitting in Kaito’s lap and hugging his head while the other café patrons stared. Kaito thought he could understand a little better now Shinichi’s aversion to Yukiko if this was how Yukiko was _all the time_.

Needless to say, they relocated soon after to The Blue Parrot.

“Their next tour doesn’t actually start for a few months yet,” Kaito told Jii and Chikage, leaning over the bar to snatch a few sticks of Pocky from the stash he kept there. “But,” he continued around three of the biscuits at once, “Hopper-san wants me to join up with them in England as soon as possible so they can work on training me up and adding me to the act. We’re planning to head out in a couple days.”

Chikage had stolen Kaito’s tablet from his bag at some point and was poking at it intently. Jii casually slid an iced coffee across the bar toward Shinichi and Shinichi snatched it up with a grin.

“Anyway, Jii-chan, I was wondering if you could do me a favor,” Kaito added. There was a Pocky stick between each of his fingers now like a variety of different flavored throwing knives. He nibbled the end off each one in a blink.

“Of course, Kaito-sama,” Jii answered easily.

“Could you take care of responding negatively on KID’s behalf while we’re gone? I already told Nakamori-keibu that KID’s taking a little hiatus, but I doubt Suzuki-jii will accept that.”

“Is it a good idea to have KID’s hiatus lined up with your travel?” Chikage asked without looking up from the tablet. “Isn’t that a little obvious, even with KID still responding to the challenges? They know that you have an assistant.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s a big enough deal to worry about. I’ve already decided the end of KID’s hiatus will correlate with our return because he’ll want to welcome back the Great Detective of the East,” he said with a wink at Shinichi. _And apparently,_ he didn’t add. _We’ve got a ‘fairytale’ on our side, too._ He finished off the Pocky then somehow managed to sneak himself onto Shinichi’s chair _under_ Shinichi so that the detective was seated sideways in his lap. A second straw appeared in the iced coffee and he leaned forward to take a sip. Shinichi rolled his eyes and let him.

“Ah! Got it!” Chikage said.

“Got what?” Shinichi asked.

“I hacked into the troupe’s network and got the tour schedule. I knew it! Las Vegas! My Kaito’s finally going to perform on a Vegas stage!”

“Kaa-saaaaan,” Kaito whined. “Don’t hack my new boss! The tickets are on sale – just _Google_ the schedule!”

Chikage turned a chilling look Kaito’s way. Kaito was unimpressed but Shinichi shivered and Jii quickly busied himself with cleaning the percolator.

“Surely you don’t expect me to _buy_ tickets, Kaito,” she said. “Surely you will see to it that I have a backstage pass to come see you.”

“Surely you don’t _need_ a backstage pass to get backstage,” Kaito countered.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” she said matter-of-factly, and clicked off the tablet.

 

_Afternoon, August 29 th_

 

“I’m home,” Haibara called as she dropped her book bag and toed off her shoes. She stopped dead the moment she came out of the entryway. “Oh what the hell is this,” she sighed under her breath, and her hand came up, pressing at her forehead and covering her eyes. There were doves everywhere – one each on the backs of the counter stools around the kitchen area, a few atop the bookshelves encircling the living area, four more on the backs of the couches and even more on the railing around the walkway upstairs. “Kudou-kun!”

She didn’t lower her hand or react at all when Kaito suddenly leapt down the walkway stairs. Shinichi and Agasa followed more normally.

“Welcome home, Ai-kun,” Agasa said.

“What is this?” she sighed. She moved her hand from her face to gesture at the doves. “Why.”

“I accepted a position with a magic troupe!” Kaito threw his arms up and a few tiny firecrackers went off.

“I _know_ ,” Haibara said. “Why have your doves moved in–” Her eyes went wide and she looked around again at the flock. “Oh for– Did they _move in_?” She rounded sharply on Agasa. “Professor?” she demanded.

“Now, Ai-kun,” he started, and she immediately turned back to Kaito.

“Explain.”

Kaito opened his mouth. Haibara stopped him.

“No. No, not you.” She zeroed in on Shinichi. “ _You_ , because you’ve got the opposite of a silver tongue. You’re just truth all day long, so give it to me.”

“Uh, okay,” Shinichi said. “The Hopper Magic Troupe is touring worldwide and Kaito can’t take _all_ of his doves along. Jii-san is busy with the Blue Parrot and Chikage-san wants to travel again so… we thought you could take care of them while we’re gone?”

“So you just brought them over without asking.”

“We asked the professor! It’s _his_ house!”

“But _I_ will be the one taking care of them; you know that.”

The beaming grin Kaito had on behind Haibara’s back almost made Shinichi roll his eyes. They both knew already that she was on board and putting up a fuss for the look of the thing. Haibara had always loved animals and Shinichi, Kaito, and Agasa had all agreed it would be good for her mental and emotional health if she had something that would be at least somewhat dependent on her that she could care for.

“They don’t need much,” Kaito put in cheerily. He stooped a little to toss an arm over Haibara’s shoulders but backed off quickly under her glare. “Just refill the feeder and water upstairs now and then. I modified one of the windows up there so they can let themselves out and it’ll lock behind them to keep the house secure. They’ll just have to come back in when you guys come and go. They’re good houseguests – they won’t wake you up or intrude or anything. Right guys?”

A warm, consensual coo rolled through the flock and Haibara scoffed, hands planted on her hips.

“Just what do you take me for? Like you really had to go that far. I can handle taking care of a few doves, and I won’t make them stay outside just for the sake of convenience.” Her smile got a little creepy then as she added, “Actually this should work out nicely. I’ll turn them to my side while you’re gone and by the time you come back I’ll have a few dozen allies to help keep an eye on you.”

Shinichi thought Kaito might have gone a little pale at the suggestion. He cleared his throat, stood up a little straighter, and bravely declared, “Well, you’re certainly welcome to try,” but he also spent the rest of their time at Agasa’s house huddled in a corner with the flock, whispering and nuzzling with them. They left him to it.

“Hey, professor,” Shinichi said. He leaned against the counter and folded his arms, hoping it would cover the slight tension in his body. “I wanted to ask before we go – do you think there’s any way to make me immune to my anesthetic needles?”

“You, Shinichi?”

“Twice,” he said, and it was sharper than he meant it to be. “Twice, Vermouth knocked me out with my own darts. I’d rather not give her that opportunity again.”

Haibara used a stool to boost herself onto the counter, sitting beside where Shinichi was leaning. He stared over at her, surprised that she would break her own rule by doing so, but he suspected it had something to do with the fact that, like this, she was shoulder to shoulder with Shinichi, solidly at his level.

“We can’t,” she said. Her eyes were on Kaito and the doves, and she reported the facts coldly as ever. “To alter your body chemistry to resist the affects of the anesthetic would not only be risky given the physical trauma you’ve seen over the years, it would also almost certainly make you immune to _all_ anesthetics. That means that the next time you get yourself horribly wounded, you would likely go into shock and die before enough could be done to save you.” She glanced over at him like she expected him to argue, but he stayed quiet. Agasa hovered nervously.

“There is another option,” she eventually added when he still did not protest.

“Don’t tell me to stop wearing the watch–” Shinichi sighed but Haibara rolled her eyes.

“No. Instead of modifying _you_ , we’ll modify the formula for the darts. Agasa-hakase and I will work on it together. I’ll get the formulas from KID’s sleep gas and anything else he uses. Surely we can figure something out that will be effective as well as harmless to whoever you use it on, and still allow _you_ at least some degree of immunity.”

Shinichi was staring at her and she shuffled a little farther down the counter away from him. “ _Don’t_ hug me,” she said. “I don’t even know if it will work, and it sure as hell won’t be ready before you leave Japan. You’re just going to have to accept that.”

Shinichi smiled and sank down onto one of the stools. “Thanks for always having my back, Haibara.”

 

_Afternoon, August 30 th _

When the doorbell rang, Shinichi took the extra few seconds to check their porch on Kaito’s security screens before rushing down the stairs and flinging the door open.

“I told you you didn’t have to ring the bell, Ran,” he said as she stepped inside. She just shrugged and leaned down to undo the buckle on her wedge-heeled sandals.

“I know you did but I didn’t want to just–”

“Wait a second, did you break up with Kosuke-kun?”

Ran straightened up, sighing at him, though she was smiling a little. Her hair, which had slipped over her shoulder, looked a little smoother and shinier than it had in a while, and he could smell the light scent of a tea and citrus hand lotion she rarely used anymore in the air around her.

“You know, it’s a good thing I don’t have any secrets to keep from you. You always seem to know all my business, Shinichi, just from looking at me.”

“Um, sorry,” he said, scratching at the back of his head. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” She headed for the great room at the back of the house and Shinichi followed. “It was mutual,” she explained. “But thanks for asking.” She paused by the white baby grand and ran her fingertips along the edge of the music shelf. “Don’t forget to cover this thing before you guys leave,” she said, her back to him. “It’ll get dusty.”

“Ran…”

She turned back to him abruptly with the exact same forced ‘I’m all right’ smile she’d always given him since that day in preschool when he’d called her out on crying over her nametag. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to him, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you, Ran,” he said. “And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I always make you wait and worry and just… thank you for sticking with me. I promise I’m not disappearing this time. I’ll text you every day.”

Ran laughed against his shoulder, her arms looped around him, relaxed and comfortable. “I know that, dummy. Doesn’t mean I won’t still miss you.”

“Heh. I’ll miss you too.”

“Come on,” she said, pulling away. She took his hand and headed for the kitchen. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving Kaito to take care of the refreshments for everybody?”

“Ha. No way. We still need a house to come back to, you know.”

 

Fortunately, Haibara had helped coordinate snacks and drinks for everyone in the little farewell party being held at the Kudou manor, in exchange for the group promising not to be disruptive neighbors. The promise was promptly forgotten, however, when Hakuba revealed that he’d brought along a board game called _Cluedo_ that he’d been fond of as a child but hadn’t had much opportunity to play since it needed at least three people. With Shinichi, Hakuba, Hattori, Kazuha, Aoko, Ran, and Sonoko all either taking turns or taking sides to play the game, Kaito kibitzing and causing general mischief by switching out clues, and Makoto left to attempt to referee, it got fairly rowdy.

Their third game in, Kaito had managed to cause so much confusion that it was starting to look like _no one_ would win when a voice from the sitting room doorway quietly stated, “It was Miss Scarlett with the candlestick in the secret passage between the conservatory and the lounge. It’s the only possible answer.”

The others all looked up, startled.

“I know I… wasn’t invited,” Akako said. She looked strangely timid, clutching at one belled velvet sleeve of what was, for her, a conservative midriff. “But–”

“Akako-chan!” Aoko launched herself up from the floor where they were all sitting around the coffee table. She ran to Akako and tackled her full-force with a massive hug. “Where have you been? It’s so good to see you again!”

Akako stood her ground impressively, thin black stockings slipping a little on the wooden floor, and she hugged Aoko back. “Well…”

“And what do you mean you weren’t invited,” Kaito drawled from the floor, loud and interrupting. “I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear the other night.”

Hakuba seemed a little stunned, and most of the others fairly confused, but in no time at all they’d dragged Akako to a seat around the table and set up a new game, settling in like Akako was a piece they hadn’t realized they’d been missing all along. She caught Kaito’s eye just once as the others were arguing over which characters they would play, and his smirk said _See? I told you._ She smiled back, finally relaxing.

_Afternoon, September 1 st _

Shinichi was fairly certain the only reason Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi had managed to accompany everyone to see Shinichi and Kaito off at the airport was because they’d pitched the most riotous fits to their parents to get them to bring them. Those parents were now standing slightly back, watching nervously as the three kids said their goodbyes.

“But Kaito-oniichan, I don’t want you to go!” Ayumi was saying. She was clinging to him, plenty tall enough now to lock him into a bone crushing hug without him having to crouch to give her the opportunity.

“I know,” he laughed, patting her head. “But getting famous is hard work, so I have to go. You just keep kicking butt on the swim team and make sure you keep Genta and Mitsuhiko in line, okay?”

“But–!”

“Don’t worry!” he insisted. He pried her off so he could take her by the shoulders. “Shinichi and I will come back and then I’ll be able to get you all backstage VIP passes to my show. How does that sound?”

All three of the kids let out a cheer and Shinichi noted the unhappy looks on their parents’ faces at the thought. He swallowed back a sigh.

“Now remember,” Shinichi said. “If you want to keep tabs on us, there’s always those two websites – for the Hopper Magic Troupe, and for me, okay?”

“Right!” Genta said.

“And don’t worry, Shinichi-san,” Mitsuhiko added. “We’ll keep the Junior Detective League going strong. You won’t have a thing to worry about while you’re gone!”

Kaito’s hand found Shinichi’s instantly and Shinichi managed a smile. He was honestly the furthest thing from relieved to hear that, but he had already asked Takagi and Sato to look out for them, and they had Haibara and Agasa as well. It would be fine.

 

They had managed to get on the plane, stow their carry-ons, and settle into their seats. The plane had even managed to leave the runway and Shinichi was already nodding off against Kaito’s shoulder as they started on their way to London.

Then someone screamed.

Shinichi was bolt upright in his seat instantly, and his first reaction was to find Kaito’s hand and clutch it tight. Kaito squeezed back, and two deep, slow breaths later, Shinichi’s eyes were clear of panic and fear. Instead they became sharp and bright, and he let his grip loosen and slip away from Kaito’s as he stood and headed for the commotion near the middle of the plane.

And, as Kaito watched Shinichi dive in to the questioning with every language at his disposal, he knew with certainty, for the first time, that they would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year, all!!
> 
> This story is finally done, but the next part is still coming. As of right now, Tales of Travel is planned out to include 9 stops around the world, plus an epilogue, but it's still in very early stages of development. I have the first half of the first chapter written out, and rough outlines and ideas for the rest (which will include murder cases, magic shows, fluff, dramatic plot-ish things, and more!) but it's going to take a lot of work. Ideally, I'd like to start posting it at the end of 2018, but we'll see how it goes. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed what I've come up with so far. I'm sure I'll be dropping a one-shot here and there over the next year as I work through my frustrations with Tales of Travel :) 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and I look forward to posting again~!
> 
> ~DS


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